Little Killjoy
by Emerald15
Summary: -My Chemical Romance- With Draculoids and Scarecrow agents at every possible turn, the desert isn't the safest place for a fourteen year old Killjoy to be running around.. / Contains OC's / Rated 'T' for swearing, violence and mentions of rape etc / ABANDONED FIC.
1. Chapter I

I ran as fast as I could, the sand flying into the air as I did. I was in Zone 6 in Battery City and several Drac's were running behind, shooting desperately but thankfully missing. Pulling my ray gun from the holster around my waist, I shot back blindly and almost breathed a sigh of relief as two thumps were heard hitting the ground. I was tempted the pull off the green bandana covering my nose and mouth – it was getting harder to breath and now wasn't the best time to faint.

Suddenly, a car covered in dirt and mud drove up alongside me. Inside there were two Killjoys; the one in the passenger seat had a yellow bandana with a black X over the mouth, covering half his face. He pushed open the back door while the car was still moving, and I heard him shout, "Get in!"

I ran towards the car, and the Killjoy's outstretched arms, dodging the ray gun's blasts as best as I could. "Come on!" the Killjoy shouted, almost desperately. As I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, a flash of light hit my shoulder and I cried out, falling forwards and into the Killjoy's arms.

"Go, go, go!" the Killjoy shouted as he pulled me onto his lap. My ray gun fell between my legs as I clutched my shoulder, groaning at the pain. How could I have let myself get shot?

"How is she?" the driver asked. The Killjoy holding me yanked down his bandana so that it hung around his neck. I could see that he had blonde hair and brown eyes. He pushed my long ponytail out of the way and managed to praise my hand away from my shoulder, with promises that he wouldn't hurt me. I don't know why, but something inside me trusted him. Maybe because he was a Killjoy that had just rescued me from a group of Draculoids but I wasn't sure. I cursed loudly as the blonde Killjoy touched my injury lightly. The driver, who had bright red hair and wore a yellow mask, chuckled slightly but his companion frowned.

"She's bleeding and pretty bad. Pass me that cloth, would you?" he asked and the driver did so. Blonde Killjoy wrapped the cloth over my shoulder and under my arm, apologizing continuously whenever I yelled or gave him a death glare. When he was done, I quickly snatched up my dark blue ray gun with D.Spainted carefully on the handle. I looked back up at blonde Killjoy... who was holding a syringe.

"No!" I shouted, shuffling away from him awkwardly until my back hit the dashboard. I winced at the pain in my shoulder.

"It's going to get worse without it," he said, sounding like he was pleading_. _Either that or he was a very good actor. "It'll be over in less than five seconds tops. Promise."

"You're doing a lot of that lately." We drove over a pothole and I smacked my shoulder against the dashboard. Without hesitation, the Killjoy used the distraction to grab my arm and push the sleeve up before injecting the needle. In a fit of anger, I yanked away, causing the needle to fall from his hands. "I said 'no'!" I hissed, grabbing the front of his shirt in my fist, while my left forearm pressed against his throat as I fought against the black spots appearing in the corners of my vision.

"Look, kid, just calm down and –" the driver began, trying to keep the situation calm.

"And what? He can inject me again? What's in that shit anyway? Some kind of drug to knock me out so you can pull over and hand me to the Drac's?" I snarled, pushing harder against the Killjoy's throat. By now he was holding onto my shoulders, trying to push me back gently, even when I hit his arms with my elbows. My vision was slowly becoming darker and stronger the more I tried to fight it. Sleep seemed like a good option but I had to stay awake! Who knows what kind of sick plan these guys were hiding.

"No, we wouldn't ever do that! We just…"

I knew the driver was talking but it was like trying to hear someone whilst being held underwater. I blinked several times, even let go of the blonde Killjoy's shirt to rub my eyes, but nothing could get rid of my sudden extreme tiredness. A few seconds later, I was out cold, slumped against the blonde Killjoy's chest.

_The wind flew between the strands of my hair as I peered over Nick's shoulder, my arms wrapped around his waist. "Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" I yelled over the sound of the wind and the engine of the motorbike. I'd never been on one before and although I'd dreamed of riding one for years, now I was terrified Nick would lose control and we'd crash into a nearby tree._

_"If I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten my licence last month!" Nick shouted back. He wasn't wearing his helmet, ordering that I wear it instead otherwise he wouldn't take me for a ride. It felt heavy but after a short while, I got used to the weight._

_The trees raced passed us in a green and brown blur, dirt from the ground being sprayed into the air and my eyes. I could feel the adrenaline rush pulsing through my body, making me feel a little giddy, and I tightened my grip. Although I was scared that this would be the end of life, I felt excitement at the whole thing. Sure, Mom and Jordan were defiantly going to kill us when they found out we'd been hiding a motorbike in the shed for the past four weeks, but I was willing to let my worries slip from my mind at that point. I was too busy enjoying the freedom I could get from riding the bike._

I bolted upright. A man wearing dark sunglasses jumped back. He had a brown afro and wore a leather jacket with a t-shirt underneath and combat-like trousers, all in black. He was sitting on a spinning chair next to the small cot that I was lying on.

"Hey," he smiled before I could move. He didn't seem too threatening, and I couldn't spot a ray gun but I didn't dare relax too much just yet.

"Hey," I replied, my voice cracking a little.

"Want some water?" he asked, getting to his feet and gently pushing me down until I lay flat.

"Please."

"Okay, but you've gotta stay lying down while I'm gone. Dr. D says it'll be better. I'll get one of the guys to keep you company," he said before walking towards the door and yelling, "Kobra Kid!"

"What?" an indignant voice yelled back. It sounded like blonde Killjoy from the car, but I wasn't sure.

"Come look after this kid," the guy told him, walking out as a pair of footsteps approached. Blonde Killjoy walked into the room. I groaned and clenched my eyes shut as a bright light stung my eyes. I felt hands lifting my ankles into the air as he sat down and dropped my feet onto his lap. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw him sitting at the end of the bed, watching me. The sudden light had been sunlight from the small window that the Killjoy had moved the curtains from.

"Hey kiddo, remember me? I'm Kobra Kid," he said, slightly awkward and completely different from the first time I'd met him. I nodded, taking in his appearance. His blonde hair and some of his slightly tanned face now had traces of dirt and what looked like motor oil as well. His brown eyes studied my every move, just like my own brown eyes did him. His jacket was bright red with a black stripe running down the arm and the word KOBRA in white by the shoulder. Underneath the jacket was a yellow t-shirt which had a black rip-like pattern on the front. There was more motor oil on his brown gloves. Kobra Kid opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly when the afro guy came back with a small cup of water.

"Hold that Kobra," the afro guy said and Kobra Kid took the cup while afro guy lifted me up into a sitting position. I greedily drank the water Kobra handed me.

"Thanks," I said, putting the cup on the small table in front of the couch. My voice didn't sound like a frog anymore thankfully.

"Anytime," afro guy smiled. "Oh, I'm Jet Star by the way. As you might have guessed, this is Kobra Kid," he gestured at the other Killjoy. "He and Party Poison were the guys who brought you here after you got shot."

"Thanks," I repeated, more to Kobra than Jet Star. Kobra shrugged before taking out a piece of green material from his black jeans pocket and handed it to me. It was my bandana. I stayed quiet this time as I inspected the material, making sure it wasn't damaged in anyway.

"Can we have a look at your shoulder?" Jet Star asked. "Kobra said it was pretty bad and Dr. D needs to know how you're progressing."

"Uh, yeah, sure," I nodded slowly. Jet Star walked behind me and gently lifted me upwards into a sitting position. Pulling the back of my green t-shirt up to my neck, making sure the material didn't brush against my injury, he emitted a low whistle.

"Holy shit," he muttered.

"What?" I tried turning my head but it was too painful. "What's wrong?"

"Kobra, come and have a look at this," Jet Star said. Kobra was by his side in a flash. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see fear spark in his eyes before he put on the perfect poker face. He walked away then walked back, kneeling behind me. I felt cotton wool brushing against my skin.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I cried out, scrunching my face up.

"It'll be okay," he said, although he looked like he was trying to convince himself more then me


	2. Chapter II

When I woke again (with a splitting headache), it was much darker outside. I'd had that dream again. The dream where I'd been riding the motorbike with Nick for the first time through the woods. Slowly, I managed to get myself into a sitting position on the cot.Looking around me, I guessed the two Killjoys had moved me from my original space into some sort of garage. Then again, it was more like some kind of make-shift radio station slash hospital. A desk cluttered with junk, such as stacks of CD cases, loose bits of paper here and there and the odd pen or pencil, stood against the right wall. Small posters with bands such as _Misfits, Black Flag, Iron Maiden _and _Anthrax _dotted the walls, along with what seemed like lyrics painted on. On the left side was another bed, although not looking quite as comfortable, and covered with a thin white sheet stood. Around one side of it, were boxes full of medical equipment, some I didn't recognise. But then again, I rarely ever needed to go to hospital.

By the corner on a black stand and hooked up to an amplifier was a red bass guitar and two electric guitars, one pristine white and the other in jet black. Looking up, I rolled my eyes to see more posters but hanging from the ceiling. They were mainly posters of _The Smashing Pumpkins _(whoever they were!). On the bedside cabinet to my left, a small book caught my eye. Picking it up, I saw it was a scrapbook of many people I didn't recognise, however I did notice the familiar faces of Kobra Kid and Jet Star, big smiles on their faces with their arms around people's shoulders.

"What are you doing?" a sudden voice cut through the silence. I jumped, my head snapping upwards while my hand immediately went to the holster, which was usually by my side, and worryingly missing.

"Where's my ray gun?" I asked suspiciously, trying to avoid the subject, yet I closed the book all the same. Kobra Kid cocked his head before pulling a dark blue ray gun from the holster on his right hip. He chucked it at me and I managed to catch it, dropping the book on my lap, which he scooped up.

"Damn you Poison," he muttered quietly before inquiring about my shoulder. He sat on the edge of the bed, and I noticed he held a small bowl with a fork sticking out of it in his hands.

"Numb." I frowned. I'd been shot before and it'd never gone numb before. Maybe being shot in the shoulder was different to being shot in the foot. "How long was I asleep for?"

"About four hours or so. We moved you here so Dr. D could keep an eye on you." He looked around. "Although the old man seems to be missing right now," he added, a little louder, as if expecting someone to jump out from the shadows. When no one came, he gave me the bowl.

"What's this?" I asked as I took the bowl, picking up the fork and gingerly prodding the substance.

"Rice."

I took a forkful and after catching Kobra's eye, resisted the urge to spit it back out. I did after the third chew though. It tasted watery and it left a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I rested the bowl on my lap.

"Eat. You'll need your strength to survive," he said, cracking his knuckles. I took another five mouthfuls of rice before refusing to eat anymore, although Kobra made me promise I'd eat something later.

"How did you find me?"

A shrug. "Pure luck I suppose. Party and I were driving back from Zone 5 when we spotted you and those gang of Draculoids." He paused. "You were alone. Where's your family?"

"Don't have any," I answered quietly, not meeting his eyes. "Why did you go to Zone 5?"

"It doesn't matter now." He stood up and asked about my shoulder.

"Better but still slightly numb. What did you do?"

"Gave you another injection, but its okay!" he added quickly, hands out with his palms facing me as my temper rose. "It was for the pain, I swear!"

I grunted, still not sure of what to make of him. I wanted to trust him badly but I'd learnt the hard way how trusting someone easily was a dangerous thing. Kobra asked me something but I didn't hear him.

"I asked if I could have a look at your shoulder. I'd like to see if it's healing alright."

I sighed. "Fine, but don't you dare inject me again!"

Promising he wouldn't, he pushed me slightly forwards and lifted the back of my shirt. He exhaled loudly through his nose. "It's… alright, I suppose. The process is going slower than we'd hoped but it shouldn't be too long now until its fully healed."

"How long will that be?" I asked as he dropped my shirt back down. He shrugged.

"I'll ask Dr Death later."

"Dr Death, the radio DJ?"

"The very same."

"Holy shit, I've heard of him!" I exclaimed. Now I understood why this room looked part hospital and part radio station! Everyone had heard rumours that before BLI took over, Dr Death was a very skilful surgeon and when he refused to join BLI, they ran him out of Battery City, forcing him to endure countless days under the sun whilst suffering from a fever. It was only by some miracle he managed to survive. "Isn't he, like, one of the most wanted people in the Zones?"

"Alongside us, yeah," Kobra chuckled. "I bet he'll finally accept that people do actually listen to him, bar from us guys."

I gaped. "Dude, every Killjoy out there knows of Dr D!"

"Dr D, huh? That what you guys call him?"

I nodded.

"I'm sure you'll meet him at some point. Just make sure you don't faint," he winked before pushing me back gently. "Go back to sleep. You look like you could use it."

I took his advice and was out like a light.

-x-

_"… Come, doused in mud, soaked in bleach, as I want you to be. As a trend, as a friend, as an old memoria, memoria, memoria, memoria…"_

A rough and rather raspy voice roused me from my sleep. By the time the unfamiliar song finished, I was sitting up by myself and tempted to swing my legs out from the thin blanket. I was glad my clothes had been left on, except for my boots, which I'd have to get back as soon as possible. That and my ray gun of course. As I tried to stand, my head instantly began to swim and I would've collapsed if a pair of arms hadn't grabbed me around my waist.

"Whoa, steady there kiddo," a male voice – Jet Star's, I recognised – said softly.

"Uhh…" I groaned, my head pounding like someone was thwacking a drumstick against it over and over. My vision swam again as Jet Star picked me up bridal style and carried me away, mumbling something about playing music. "Wh… where we goin'?" I managed to force the words out of my mouth, which was slightly difficult as my tongue suddenly felt like lead.

"It'll be okay," was the only thing Jet said as he tried to soothe me back to sleep but my head just kept pounding harder and harder. Jet's footsteps slammed against the floor, making me wince. Couldn't he walk a little quieter? Suddenly, there was another pair of footsteps bashing the ground and a shout. My arms were suddenly too heavy for me to move in order to cover my ears against the noise. What was going on?

"Wha… pened?" a voice yelled. Someone groaned in pain and all of a suddenly, I could feel Jet's arms leaving me as something soft replaced his limbs.

There was a jumble of voices, always yelling whilst stomping around. I wanted to turn away but my body refused to move. I tried to call out for someone, anyone, but it was as if my body had gone into a coma, refusing to obey me. A cold hand wrapped itself around my own.

"… me… Kid, remem…" the voice said, the words broken up. "… hold… get through… okay?" I could only breathe in response but even that was becoming more difficult to do. There was tingling sensation in my arm, which grew until my arm felt completely numb. By now, my eyes were closed, the effort of trying to keep them open completely draining my energy. "… get through… okay?" Those torn apart words again. What was he trying to say?

Something wet feel onto my cheek before I fell into the abyss


	3. Chapter III

_There was a knock on the door. I was busy in my room, looking through a 'BLI-approved' magazine. Nick would get the door. It was probably Mom and Jordan coming home hungover after a night out with friends before crashing at Sharon's place or whatever. I never thought of there being much point in them going on a "night out" – since BLI came to power, all alcoholic substances were immediately destroyed and anyone caught smuggling anything alcoholic, were sent to The Main Building._

_Once you went into The Main Building, you never came back out alive. Yeah, Battery City was becoming deadly. Especially since the security tightened after the stunt pulled by a gang of masked Killjoys. Apparently, the Head Exterminator – Korse – had been furious, killing two Draculoids and a Scarecrow agent in his fury. Nothing a good couple of Happy Pills couldn't sort out though and within five minutes, he was back to his normal, ugly and cold-hearted self. I wondered what Korse had been like before BLI as I flicked through the magazine. Mom gave them to me but told me to take no notice of whatever bullshit they said – as long as I pretended to be sucking in the content, it should keep me safe._

_"Hello?" Nick. A murmur of voices. "Alright. I just… I, err… could I please have to moment to explain to my sister about the… situation?" Another murmur. "Thank you." The front door closed before Nick's footsteps bounded up the stairs._

_"What's up?" I asked in a bored voice, flinging the magazine across the room as Nick barged in. I was used to this but it did annoy me most of the time._

_"We've got to go," he simply said, grabbing my school bag from underneath the bed, tipped all my books out and began stuffing clothes into it. He shrugged me off every time I tried to stop him, telling me to make myself useful and pack lightly._

_"I would if you told me what was going on!" I hissed. My tone of voice made him stop and glare directly into my eyes. Suddenly, he grabbed the front of my top and shoved me into the wall._

_"How dare you blame this on me!" he shouted in my face. The accusation puzzled me. What was he talking about? Before I could ask, Nick's hand hit my cheek, leaving a stinging red mark. Dumping me on the floor with tears flowing from my eyes, Nick continued with his work before storming off into his bedroom, leaving me to curl into a little ball and sob quietly._

A sharp sting on my arm made me yelp. There was a voice but it felt like it was coming from too far away and the small amount I could see was a little fuzzy. The words were muffled and they stopped just as a sweet smell began clouding the small part of my consciousness that I was clinging onto.

-x-

A set of heavy footsteps woke me up. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing normal anyway.

"How she doing?" That had to be Kobra Kid.

"Stable." I wasn't sure of the owner of this voice but it was familiar, and defiantly a male voice.

"… How long do you think until –?"

"I don't know," came the annoyed reply. A sigh. "I'm sorry Kobra, it's been a long day and I've had to juggle the radio station and the crazy shit that goes along with it, and Sleeping Beauty here."

"It's alright, I'm just worried."

"I understand." A pause. "So how's Party been holding up?"

"Fine, I guess. He runs out of things to talk about so he just says ridiculous things like about what he'd do if this… wasn't going on. If the bombs had never fallen and BLI had failed in their, what he calls, "world domination plan". Pony just fusses with the records and Jet cleans like there's no tomorrow."

The other man laughed.

"Seriously Dr Death, you should see how clean it is! Even you would be impressed."

_Dr D! Holy shit! _I could've squealed in excitement if I hadn't heard an odd beeping noise beeping faster and faster. My heart rate! I concentrated on my breathing to subtly slow down the wild rhythm of my heart.

"What's wrong? Is she okay?" Kobra asked nervously. A grunt from Dr D.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty here is awake."

I opened my eyes shyly. Kobra Kid was sitting on a chair opposite my right hip, looking paler than the last time I'd seen him. He smiled as he took my hand in his gloved one.

"Hey," I said, sounding like a frog.

"Drink this," said Dr D in his gruff voice, shoving a plastic cup underneath my nose. I drank a little of the warm liquid.

"Thanks Dr D," I said, sweeping my eyes up and down the radio presenter. He wore dark shades and a dark blue (almost black) bandana over his forehead. His clothes were a simple t-shirt, trousers, leather jacket and boots, all of which were black. I also noticed that he had a stubble along his jawline and chin, which I could see becoming a small beard.

After a few minutes of asking how I was and giving me a quick check-up, Dr D ordered I go outside and get some fresh air. Kobra muttered something under his breath, to which the other man gave him a stern look.

"Can you get up on your own?" Kobra asked. After a few tries and a little help, I managed to stand on my own two feet.

"Whoa!" I gasped as I nearly toppled over thanks to my shaky legs. I had just managed to grab hold of Kobra to steady myself. "How long was I out?"

"Two days. I'll still want to keep an eye on you for the next couple but I reckon you should be able to use your gun again in less than a week," Dr D answered, taking something from the holster hidden by his body and tossed it towards me.

_At least my hand and eye coordination are good, _I thought as I caught the object. It was my ray gun. There was a faint scratch on the side but as long as the gun still worked, I didn't care. I hoped I could test it out soon. Didn't want to loose my skill what with Draculoids crawling around the place. I thanked Dr D for keeping it safe before giving the gun a subtle peck on its handle. Hey, it was important to me!

Kobra Kid led me into the Diner, which I hadn't seen much of, yet there wasn't anything totally miraculous about it; it was a simple Diner that housed four adult Killjoys, an illegal radio presenter and myself. Jet sat on one of the Diner's chairs behind what used to be a bar, with a red-headed man opposite him. This had to be Party Poison. Two opened cans of what I recognised as Power Pup had been pushed away from the both of them, forks sticking out from the top. When Jet noticed me, he smiled and gave a small nod in greeting before turning his attention to the piece of paper Party held out in front of them, but once the red-haired Killjoy leader himself caught sight of me, he quickly rolled up the paper and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Poison, what are you doing?" Jet complained.

"We can't discuss it here anymore," he answered simply before walking away, Jet following.

"Sorry lil' one," the afro haired Killjoy apologised as he passed.

"What's that all about?" I asked Kobra, hopping onto Jet's vacant seat.

"Nothing." Kobra pushed an abandoned can of Power Pup. When I gave it a disproving look – that shit was literally dog food! – he gave me an ultimatum: Power Pup or the soggy rice. Grasping the fork, I took a small nibble of the brown slop. It tasted as bad as the rice, but instead of the aftertaste, it burned my tongue like a hot curry. Kobra watched me try to swallow the Power Pup while he shifted the rice from side to side on his bowl.

"Hey, if I'm eating dog food, you can eat the rice!"

We sat in silence for a few moments before I asked me something that I'd stupidly only just realised and now I was itching to know the answer. Kobra seemed to know something was up too.

"What's the matter?"

"Well, its just that… you are the Fabulous Killjoys, right?"

"Right…"

"Forgive me if I'm being rude or anything, but.. aren't there _four _Fabulous Killjoys?"

There was an awkward silence for a moment. I could've kicked myself and just as I began scolding myself mentally, Kobra answered, "yes" so quietly, I almost didn't hear it.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is the other one? Fun Ghoul, right?"

Party answered me.

"He… he was kidnapped by Better Living Industries and that bastard Korse!


	4. Chapter IV

**Ok, so from this point onwards, there's a lot of swearing and violence. There will also be mentions of rape and murder. Don't you just l-o-v-e BLI? *sarcasm***

There was silence for what seemed like forever. No one dared to speak or even move. I could feel Party's eyes burning through me as I stared at my lap. I didn't know if he was waiting for me to speak or if he was glaring at me in anger. Finally, Jet broke through the silence.

"That's what Party and I were discussing when you walked in."

Again, no one said anything and probably avoided looking at Party like I did.

"Can I help?" I blurted out, looking up for the first time in what felt like forever. I glanced at Party's eyes and found myself transfixed by them. Where I had expected fury directed at me for reminding him of the situation with Fun Ghoul, that was not the case. There was sorrow and pain, heart wrenching pain in his hazel orbs. The emotions were only there for a split second before Party's face became blank.

"You've just woken up from nearly a three day recovery and you can almost barely walk let alone fire a gun," he hissed, stalking right up to me and glaring into my eyes. The fury was there this time. "Besides, you're just a child. You'll get yourself killed the minute you walk through their doors." He turned and began walking away. How dare he call me a mere _child_ like I knew nothing at all!

"Hey!" That got his attention. "So what if I'm just fourteen years old? Does that instantly make me immature in _your _eyes?" I got off the chair and strode up to him. "But who the Hell are you to decide whether I'm mature enough or not? None of you in this entire bloody Diner know who the Hell I am, where I'm from or the shit that no fourteen year old should've gone through. Let me ask you something _Party Poison_," I sneered his name as I poked his chest hard. "Have you ever had to witness a member of your family being executed right in front of you? I guess you probably have, but was it because they were trying to protect you?"

Party opened his mouth to speak but I cut across him.

"Did you have to watch someone get their soul destroyed while they looked into your eyes, begging for you to look away and run? Because I did! I had to watch my damn brother get raped by those fucking Scarecrows before they put a bullet put through his head! And all that time I had to hide behind a damn wall while he screamed and screamed." My voice had now risen to shouting and I gazed at the man in front of me with loathing. My clenched fists were shaking with anger and I was struggling to keep my voice from shaking and my eyes from crying. When I opened my mouth again, I spoke quietly but the anger was still there. "All of that was two months ago and only now I've stopped seeing my brother getting murdered wherever I turn."

"Kid, I'm sorry but –"

"Shut up!" I shouted and, as if it had a mind of its own, the back of my clenched fist stuck across Party's face. The impact sent him flying into the counter and onto the floor with an very loud, "shit!" I didn't however, stay to apologise or help the Killjoy to his feet. Instead, I turned on my heels and ran out of the Diner into the baking heat. Behind me I could hear Kobra Kid shouting for me to come back but I ignored him. He would only take me back to that damn Killjoy and make me say I was sorry. _Why should I be?_ I thought as I carried on jogging. I didn't know how far it was until the nearest Killjoy hide-out but I didn't care; the further away from Party, Jet and Kobra I was, the better. I continued cursing Party's name, until I couldn't run anymore.

I wasn't sure how long I walked for then after that, but the heat from the sun was becoming too much for me and I fell to my knees. I probably had another couple of miles to go before I had any chance of finding civilisation. I had to continue if I was going to survive. My throat burned every time I breathed, gasping for even the tiniest drop of water. The sun continued to burn brightly in the sky as I staggered to my feet and began dragging them across the sand. Then, all of a sudden, I saw her. It was a tall woman with midnight black hair which flowed gracefully to her elbows. She wore skin tight jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I'd never seen her dressed like that before yet I knew who she was.

"Mom?"

She nodded, her celery green eyes holding a dim spark beneath them. When she spoke my name, it was exactly how I remembered it before she and Jordan died; soft and inviting. I wanted to rush into her arms and sob whilst begging for her to take me away from Earth, to be with her and Jordan and Nick. Instead, I stayed rooted to the spot and shook my head a tiny bit.

"I'm not her anymore," I whispered, trying not to cause anymore pain in my throat. "I'm a Killjoy now Mom."

She gave me a happy smile, as if me telling her that made her the happiest person in the world. I think being a Killjoy was what she always wanted me to be. Nick had told me that once but I'd never believed it; I did now. Mom kept my eyes glued to hers, so much so that I barely noticed collapsing to my knees. The heat kept on rising as I wiped the little beads of sweat off my forehead and tried forming the little amount of saliva I had left in my mouth to moisten my throat.

"What is your name?" Mom asked.

"Da… Dark-k… Sta… r…" I rasped. I jumped slightly when a hand was placed on my shoulder and saw Mom kneeling in front of me. How did she come near me so fast?

"Don't worry angel, someone is on their way." Angel. That was her nickname for me when I was younger. She shifted slightly and for a split second there were two of her.

"Wh…?"

I heard the rumbling of an engine but didn't bother turning around to look. I turned back to Mom but she had disappeared and instead there were a pair of hands, larger than Mom's small ones, underneath my arms. They lifted me into the air so that my heels were skimming across the ground. I gave into whoever they were, not having the strength to fight them off. The stranger dragged me backwards and I found myself in the backseat of a car.

"Sshh…" the person said softly, running a hand through my matted hair. "It'll all be over soon."

I finally looked up, straight into the familiar face of a Scarecrow agent


	5. Chapter V

**So here it is, the new chapter for this story, hope you enjoy and sorry about the long updates! :(**

When I woke up, I was instantly blinded by a bright light that stung my eyes. Squinting, I waited until my eyes became accustomed to the light and got a good look at my surroundings. I was lying on my back on a comfy hospital bed, with light blue curtains surrounding me. There was an IV in my arm and I could hear a steady beeping sound.

_Why am I in a hospital?_ I thought, just as the curtain pulled back to reveal what looked like a doctor, wearing plain white scrubs and a mask over his mouth and nose. His hair was covered with a white hair net. A Draculoid stood next to him holding a gun.

"Hello patient 442," the doctor said pleasantly as he checked the machines behind me. I tried to open my mouth to respond but it was as if my muscles had been frozen into place. I tried to move my arm but nothing happened. The loud beeping noise steadily grew faster and faster, louder and louder as I began to panic. Why couldn't I move? The doctor smiled. "There's nothing to be afraid of, my dear. I've simply given you a little injection to freeze your muscles." He tapped the IV in my arm. "While this is still in you, the only thing you'll be able to move by yourself, will be your eyeballs and lids. Obviously your body can still move, but only if it is done for you. What I mean is, I can lift your arm up quiet easily with my hand but you will not be able to even move your baby finger a fraction of an inch. Of course, your vital organs will be fully functional so you don't need to worry about a thing. Couldn't have you dying before we started, hm?" He moved around to the foot of the bed and picked up a chart. I watched his eyes skim over the page before putting it back down. "Right, let's get to work."

_Let's not_, I thought, trying to force my tongue to form the words. The doctor grinned at my frustration.

"Isn't science today just marvellous?" he asked as he pulled out a small spray. "Of course, some things need testing, so good thing we have little Killjoys running around, isn't it?" The doctor held open my eye lids and sprayed my eyes.

Each little droplet was like a fire ball hitting my eyes. Squeezing my eyes closed was the only thing I could do as my screams died in my vocal chords. I wanted to claw out my own eyeballs in order to stop the pain but my arms and hands were pinned down against the bed.

"Open your eyes patient 442!" I heard the doctor command, making my dislike for him grow into hatred. When I refused, he smacked my across the face. My head snapped to one side with the force but I couldn't move my head back on my own. The doctor did that for me by slapping the other side of my face. "Open your eyes before I open them myself!"

_I can't!_ I wanted to scream at him. The pain hurt too much for me to even try. Gloved fingers pried open my lids and the stinging intensified. It was like being repeatedly stabbed with a fiery needle in my eyes. My vision was still the same and I was slightly surprised that tears weren't falling down my face, yet I was glad there weren't any – I knew any sign of pain or fear from now on would only give the doctor some kind of sick glee. From now on, I had to "man-up" as the saying went, and figure out some way of getting out of this mess I'd gotten myself into. Suddenly, a mirror was shoved in front of my face and I felt shocked at the face staring back at me.

The girl who looked back in the mirror had sun kissed skin with dark round circles underneath the eyes. Her lips were pink and looked chapped. Her hair had grown quite a bit and flowed down her shoulders. It'd been brushed and didn't look as greasy as it normally did. The girl's facial muscles were locked into place, there was not a single movement to be seen at all. I wanted to look away from my horrid reflection when my eyes drifted upwards to their reflection.

The iris' were purple.

-x-

"Good morning doctor, how are you?" I asked pleasantly.

It'd been a very long nine days, but during that time, I found out that even though he seemed rather psychotic, the doctor trusted people too much. I'd decided to play the nice little girl who did as he asked, complying with his experiments on different parts of my body (it'd only been my eyes, hands and feet so far) in exchange for the use of my muscles. He'd granted my wish rather quickly but instead of trying anything funny (he'd been waiting, no, _hoping _for me to do something stupid like attack when he freed my arms. I'd felt rather smug when I saw the disappointment in his eyes), I remained the good little patient. The tests still hurt like Hell of course, but the doctor sometimes gave me a little morphine for the burning pain.

"Not too much," he'd said. "It'll damage the test results."

One thing I was grateful for was that he hadn't try to give me any of those BLI happy pills. I knew that if he ever shoved one of those down my throat, I'd either be back to stage one in my frozen state, or an eternal soldier-slash-slave to BLI.

Now, the doctor gave me one of his warm smiles as he picked up my chart from the end of my bed. "Good morning yourself patient 442, and I am very well, thank you for asking. How about yourself? Are you ready for another little experiment?" He couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice during the last sentence, I could tell.

"What are we doing this time doc?" I asked nicely enough while I mentally screamed, _No, you absolute idiot! Why are you doing this to me!?_

"Actually, our newest experiment requires you to have full use of your muscles."

I blinked in shock. "Why?"

"We need a few of our well-mannered patients to test a couple of gadgets out for us, and I thought you would be perfect for the role!" He smiled widely, which surprisingly enough, wasn't actually the creepiest thing about him. No, it was rather… nice. It showed off his straight, pearly white teeth. Wait, nice? Pearly white teeth? What was I thinking!? It sounded like I was crushing on the guy! I didn't even know his name! "Well?"

"Oh, um, I… I, err…" I stumbled over my words, suddenly not sure what to say. The doctor flashed another perfect smile.

"You don't have to worry about the others making fun of your…" he gave an awkward cough as he looked down at my hand. It was scaly and blue, covering my entire left hand all the way to my elbow, a clear result of what happened when a test went wrong. I learned that tests that went wrong were _much _more painful than those that went right. I didn't even know what BLI were testing on me (and no doubt countless others if my patient number was 442) but I doubted I'd get answers from the doctor. One of my iris' was half green, half yellow whilst the other was still purple from the first experiment.

"Oh no, of course not, I wasn't worried about that. Not that I was worried at all, I was just wondering why me."

The doctor smiled.

"Maybe because you're a special little patient?"

Then, after making me promise that I'd think about it, he left.

**And there you go! Like I said at the top, I hoped you enjoyed it and isn't really crappy :D reviews will let me know? ;) also, if there's anything specific you'd like to see in this story or another future story, then please PM me or leave a review, anon or not, and I'll see what I can do :D :D :**


	6. Chapter VI

**Yay chapter six!**

I didn't see the doctor again for what felt like ages. During that time, a white haired woman covered in pale blue scrubs with a mask covering her identity, would come in and help me to get my muscles working again. Whilst an armed Draculoid stood in the corner of the room, she would take my hands and help me walk around the room. But the nurse (which is what I thought of her as) was a harsh woman and wouldn't let me stop for breaks when my legs strained from the sudden activity after being frozen in place for too long.

"Get up!" she would screech whenever I fell down. I would scream back that I couldn't get up, which only made her angry. She would only help me up if I could get to my knees all on my own. Although, despite how much I hated her, she did get my legs working again but I was so glad to see the back of her.

Finally, the day came when I woke up and on my bed above my feet, were some neatly folded up clothes. I slipped out of the bed, flinching slightly at the cold floor (I would never get used to it) and padded over to the end of the bed. The clothing wasn't anything special – trousers, long sleeved t-shirt, socks and trainers, all in white. I changed quickly and sat on the bed, swinging my feet as I waited for the doctor.

_What am I doing?_

The unexpected thought startled me but I couldn't deny it; what was I doing, sitting here, waiting for a BLI worker to come pick me up? Did I have a death wish or was I just stupid?

"I've got to get out of here," I muttered to myself, sliding off the bed. I peered through the curtain before slipping carefully out into the corridor. As I crept down the corridor, I made sure to keep an ear open for any sounds of someone approaching. Either luck was on my side or BLI was having a day out because wherever I went, it was as as quiet as a ghost town. Too quiet in fact.

_Where is everybody? _I wondered when all of a sudden, the entire corridor was flooded by a flashing red light.

"Security alert! Patient four hundred and forty-two has escaped! All Scarecrow agents to close off all exit routes. I repeat, all Scarecrow agents to close off all exits," a robotic voice alerted loudly over a tannoy system.

"Shit!"

I sprinted down the rest of the corridor as the loud marching of Scarecrow agents became louder and louder from behind me. I had to find somewhere to hide! Throwing every door in front of me open (I didn't care about being quiet right now – I had to get out of here now), I searched every corner for somewhere remotely safe to hide. My heart thumped against my rib cage painfully and I was breathing heavily. Then, I found it:

A closet door.

Without thinking, I threw open the door and quietly closed it behind me. I held my breath as the agent's footsteps became louder and louder as they approached.

_Don't be scared, they won't look here, _I thought to myself over and over. I clenched my hand into a fist and shoved it into my mouth. _Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet…. _I breathed a sigh of relief when the footsteps did indeed pass by my hiding place and I began thanking every God I knew the name of. Just as I began to thank Zeus, a male voice cut through my whispering.

"I don't care if you have to shoot her in the head, just bring me her body now!" the man snarled. I looked over to my right and in the darkness, saw what looked like a small screen emitting blue light. I guessed that the sound came from another room and was being picked up by the screen on the other side.

_Maybe it acts like some kind of radio?_

I nervously tapped the screen, hoping it wouldn't make a sound. Miraculously, it didn't but I still jumped back in surprise when the screen changed and began showing me different visuals from security cameras. They ranged from offices to corridors and many other places in the building, as I found out when I swiped my index finger across the screen from the right to the left side.

There was one small visual that caught my attention. I tapped on it and the visual enlarged until it filled the entire screen. My eyes widened at the sight.

On a small cot against the wall, lay a man with greasy black hair that fell down to his shoulders. I could see his eyes were closed and judging by the rise and fall of his chest, I could assume he was fast asleep, not bothered by the warning signals that even lit up in his cell. He lay with his back facing the wall, knees brought up to his chest with his arms folded. He was wearing exactly the same clothes as I was, except for the socks and trainers. His shirt was short-sleeved, exposing various tattoos covering his skin. When I looked up to his face the second time, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew who this man was. His face was on the many Wanted posters that'd been stapled to buildings in every city, every town I'd come across.

Fun Ghoul.

In that second, I'd already made up my mind; I was going to get this man and myself out of here if it was the last thing I did


	7. Chapter VII

**Fun Fact: I'm more nervous about this chapter than you guys are! o.0**

**Oh, and this chapter is kind, sorta, maybe, *very* violent. If you're uncomfortable with 14 year old kids shooting and killing people (in a probably graphic-ish way) then STOP READING NOW. The rating is 'T' for a reason.**

_Now then, where are you? _I asked myself. The cell Fun Ghoul was in held no clues whatsoever; the walls were a plain white and there wasn't a window. The view the camera gave me didn't show any form of entry so I guess that the camera had to be above the door. _Maybe there's an Options button? _I wondered, even though it seemed slightly ridiculous. I tapped the screen and the visual became smaller as it slotted into the row of camera visuals. Quickly, I enlarged it back up and double tapped the screen instead. I grinned as what looked like an information bar appeared.

Prisoner: Killjoy Fun Ghoul (Name Unknown)

Location: Block C

Cell No: 290

Crime: Refusal to cooperate with BLI laws; Attempted murder of Head Exterminator and several members of the general public; Murder of Draculoid and Scarecrow Agents; Rioting; Theft; Damage to public property and damage to BLI property

Sentence: No. #5

_Block C? Where the Hell is that? And what is a number five sentence?_

I tapped on the underlined "Location" and immediately a map popped up with a bird's eye view of the BLI building. It looked like it'd been separated by different block letters and according to the map, I was in Block D. A little red dot on the screen informed me of where I was standing and a little blue dot showed where Fun Ghoul was. I almost laughed. This was going to be too easy! Crouching down a bit lower in front of the device, I touched the sides with my fingers and a small window popped up:

Become Portable?

I tapped on the _Yes _box and without a fuss, the device literally fell off the wall. I just managed to catch it before it crashed to the ground and alerted every Agent to where I was. Mentally chastising myself for not being careful, I took a longer look at the map and noticed that there were hundreds – no, _thousands_, it had to be – of little green dots whizzing around the screen. Those were the Agents then. After a quick look at the screen, I could easily summarise the key perfectly: red dot was me, blue dot was Fun Ghoul, green dots were Agents, long white lines were walls and the letters were different blocks.

_Let's do this._

I scanned the area where I was and found no one nearby. Clutching the device in one hand, I slowly opened the closet door, peering around the corner. I looked up and down the corridor; nothing. Exhaling quietly in relief, I stepped out of the closet, closing the door behind me. For a moment, I waited. I waited for the ear-splitting sirens and the loud _clump! clump! clump! _of the Agents' footsteps as they rushed towards me, ray guns at the ready.

But, there was not a single sound to be heard. It was rather unnerving and I quickly consulted the electronic map. Spinning on my heels, I power-walked down the corridor, clutching the map in a vice-like grip as my heart thudded painfully with each step I took. Half of me wanted to run back into the closet and lock myself in there until I finally had the balls to come out. The other half (which squished the other half and therefore defeating it) encouraged me to keep calm and carry on; I had to find Fun Ghoul and get us both out of here. What happened after that however, I wasn't so sure.

Pushing the thought out of my mind, I looked at the map. I needed to find a way to get to Block C as quickly as possible. As I neared that particular section of the building, the amount of Dracs steadily increased and I'd had to dive behind a wall every now and then. I knew I couldn't keep hiding for very long and would soon have to fight one or two off. As I hid behind a wall, I heard the sound of an Agent's footsteps approaching from around the corner.

_The ray gun would be handy… besides, it's only one, _I thought to myself. When the footsteps were loud enough for me to initiate my surprise attack, I whipped round the corner and smashed the device into my enemy's face. The masked Draculoid went down like a sack of potatoes. Snatching the ray gun off him, I quickly shot the being in the head, not wanting to take any risks.

_What, and this right now isn't a risk?!_ the little voice in my head snapped but I willed it away as I searched my enemy's pockets, finding little pieces of ammunition. I pocketed them and continued on my way.

-x-

The Scarecrow crumbled to the ground as I blew away the smoke from my new ray gun. I'd finally made it into Block C and had decided I wouldn't go on a killing rampage, like I wanted to do. No, I had to stick to the plan. I searched the four dead Scarecrows and took their guns, ammunition and…

"Well hello," I muttered as I pulled a pocketknife from one of the Scarecrows.

I was sure the Agents were dead but a little test couldn't harm, could it? I yanked back the Scarecrow's head and dragged the pocketknife across its throat. Blood squirted out before dribbling down its neck. I grinned. Oh yes, it worked alright. I did the same to the other three before walking away. My pace picked up a bit when I saw an uncomfortable number of green dots coming from behind. Then, it started.

The red lights flashed and my pace became a run, which became a sprint every now and then. The sirens pierced my eardrums but I couldn't afford to drop everything so I could try and block the noise. It would be a fruitless attempt and I'd only get myself killed. Glancing at the map, I began to take random twists and turns, shooting down Agents that came across my path. I didn't have time to slit their throats as I passed. A bullet to the head would have to suffice.

"Fuck!" I almost shrieked as something caught my ankle and I went crashing to the ground. My face smacked against the floor and I felt blood in my mouth. The map went skidding ahead of me, out of arms reach. I turned back and saw the masked face of a Draculoid clutching onto my leg. I growled in anger as I smashed my foot into his face. His grip loosened and it was all I needed to scramble to my feet and quickly slit his throat before running off.

_Have to be more careful, have to be more careful, _I mentally said to myself as I scooped up my belongings. The map showed I wasn't too far from Fun Ghoul now. Just a few more turns and I should be there.

I managed to hide behind corners from the Draculoids as I reloaded my ray gun. I had another but planned to use it only when this one became damaged or lost. I peered around the corner and saw two armed Scarecrows outside Fun Ghoul's cell. After checking numerous times, I was certain that this was the correct one. I took aim slowly and carefully, all the while keeping an ear alert for anyone approaching from behind. I squeezed the trigger and the Scarecrow nearest crumpled. It's partner didn't move which annoyed me. It was supposed to move to check on its friend! That action was what I'd been counting on! The damn bastard was in a too awkward position for me to correctly fire from.

"Fuck it," I growled as I revealed myself from behind the wall and pulled the trigger multiple times. I dodged the only blast the Scarecrow had managed to fire at me before it went down. I hadn't killed it yet, I could tell by its chest rising and falling. Without one swift shot, the Agent stopped moving.

As I approached the cell, I saw there was a keypad next to a thin outline in the wall, which had to be where the door was. The keypad was asking for a thumb print and I wasn't stupid enough to give it my own. Reaching for the pocketknife, I pulled up the dead Scarecrow's left arm and sawed through it's wrist. The job was messy and left blood all over my clothes, face, hands and the walls. My knife was now stained bloody from all the killings, but it'd been worth it; anyone working for BLI deserved to rot in Hell for what they'd done, not just to the people and America, but to the world.

The rest of the body fell back down as I pressed the thumb against the keypad. A thin blue line traced the print before flashing green. There was a _swoosh! _as the door to Fun Ghoul's cell opened. I grinned and was about to take a step forward when a cool, hard circle of metal prodded the back of my neck.

"Don't. Move," a voice commanded


	8. Chapter VIII

**Fun Fact: I don't know how or why, but sometimes this character reminds me of Lady Macbeth. You know, is sane then goes crazy before killing herself? Well, the killing-self party (might) not happen here (ooh, spoilers (or not spoilers - PLOT TWIST.)) but the part were she is sane then goes crazy slightly happens here. Hmm.**

"Drop your weapons. Now."

I grinned, recognising the male voice. I whipped around, knocking the arm that held the ray gun against my neck, and grabbed spun my attacker around. Kicking the back of his shin, the guy fell down and I only just managed to grab him with my arm around his throat. The final touch was to add my stolen ray gun to his temple. Breathing heavily from the adrenaline that'd barely stopped pumping through my body, I looked up into two familiar faces and grinned widely, despite their ray guns trained on the spot between my eyes.

I lowered my head and breathed in the scent of the man's hair below me. I lowered my face down a bit and felt him flinch as I exhaled gently by his ear.

"Hello. Party Poison," I whispered. My head snapped up to gaze at Kobra Kid and Jet Star. "Hey Kobra Kid and Jet Star. Long time no see, huh?"

"Dark Star?" Kobra gasped. I frowned. How did he know my Killjoy name? I was sure I'd never told any of them.

"How do you know my name?" I growled, arm tightening against Poison's throat. I felt him trying to pull my arm off until I kicked his back and growled at him to stay still.

"Easy kid," Jet Star began, lowering his gun (but not putting it in its holster) as he raised one hand with his palm facing towards me. "We found out from Dr D's database. It turns out there was also a malfunction with a the machine. You're not Korse's daughter; in fact the two of you aren't related at all."

"So you let me run off into the desert so I could be kidnapped by a passing Scarecrow!" I practically yelled, my arm now almost impossibly tight against Poison's throat. At this particular point, I didn't really care. Kobra and Jet seemed to though.

"No, no! That's not what we meant!" Kobra said almost frantically. He kept glancing at Poison then at me and so on. "Like Jet said, it was an error. A grave one we know! Please Star, don't take it out on Poison. Just let him go and we can grab Ghoul and get outta here." His voice almost cracked with emotion and his eyes begged me. I grunted before grudgingly shoving Poison to the floor.

"He's in there," I pointed behind me. Jet nodded before darting into the cell, Kobra rushing to Poison's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Poison nodded as he coughed, although I could tell he was trying to keep down the noise.

"Ye… ye… ah," the red head managed to say with a wary glance in my direction. Rolling my eyes (how weak he was, even as a Killjoy leader, to not be able to cope with a mere strangle), I began picking up my items I'd dropped in the scuffle with Poison.

"Let's go," Jet said from behind me. I turned and saw the man carrying another in his arms like a groom would do for his bride. I knew instantly that the man in Jet's arms was Fun Ghoul, even if I couldn't see his face, as it was facing Jet's body. Poison jumped to his feet and ran over. He muttered something under his breath to which Kobra replied with, "let's get him back to Dr Death."

Poison nodded at Jet and the two darted off the way I presumed they came. Kobra went to join them but I remained rooted to the spot. Why would they want me with them? After I was close to killing their leader, why would anyone want me now? If any Killjoy found out about what I'd almost done (and I was sure they would – that kind of news would spread like wildfire), I'd be shot without second thought.

_You're no better than a damn Draculoid._

"You coming?"

I looked up to face Kobra and told him why they (or anybody) would want me now. The blonde man frowned and walked up to me, slapping his gloved hands onto my shoulders.

"Listen," he began, crouching down so we were eye to eye. He opened his mouth to say more when a loud march of _clunk! clunk! clunk! _echoed from the right.

"Another time?" I suggested, slight amount of humour in my voice.

"I think that'd be best," Kobra smiled slightly before grasping my hand and pulling me into a sprint.

As the two of us ran through the Better Living Industries building, a million and one things began rushing through my mind. Would we make it out? If we didn't, what would happen to us? Instant death? Torture for information then death? But, what would happen to all those Killjoys out there that needed their leaders for guidance and inspiration? I shuddered as brief images of Killjoys being shot down like criminals (although to some degree, aren't we criminals?) in the Zones; Killjoys being beaten to death, starved to death, frozen to death. I gripped onto Kobra's hand tighter as the images became more violent and disturbing. The Killjoy turned and flashed me a brilliant smile, one that told me everything was going to be okay.

_But it's not._

We made it out through the doors and I let go of Kobra's hand, although he still held onto mine.

"Let me go Kobra!" I yelled at him. I saw the Trans-Am ahead, Jet in the driver's seat and I could just make out Poison in the back seat with Ghoul. "You four go now, I'll try and lead them away."

"No, you bloody well don't!" Kobra yelled back, refusing to loosen his grip an inch. "Now isn't the time to play hero Star, we need to get you and Ghoul to safety."

A flash of light soared through the air as Kobra and I dodged the Draculoid's blasts. I aimed my gun behind me and fired blindly, hoping I killed some damn Draculoids. When we reached the car, the front door was flung open and just as Kobra shoved me into the seat, I whacked my forehead against the car.

"Shit!" I yelped as I fell into the vehicle. I barely managed to get my feet inside before the door was slammed shut.

"Go, go, go!" Kobra, Party and I shouted as the Draculoids came closer to the car. The engine roared to life and Jet stamped on the gas. I looked in the wing mirror and saw Kobra's hand sticking out of the window, firing blindly behind us. I saw a Draculoid or two fall to the ground and smirked in satisfaction.

I sighed, slumping down against the seat as a yawn escapes my mouth. The last thing I remember is the landscape of the desert, empty except for cacti. Then, I close my eyes and fall asleep, exhausted as the adrenaline leaves my body.

_Maybe everything will get better now we have Ghoul._

**PS. To all those other writers who read my stories (or story), is it me, or every time you're writing and you're imagining what's happening so far, does it feel like everything is going in slow motion? *shrug* I dunno, maybe I'm just mad (as a Hatter)? Yeah, I think it's that…**

**And yes, I realise this is a small chapter AND I'M REALLY SORRY but this stupid text edit thing doesn't have a word counting thingy and it looks like loads but then FF.N tells me how much it really is and I'm like *RAGE***

**I. LOVE. YOU. GUYS**


	9. Chapter IX

I woke to the feeling of my body being jostled around. I stretched out my legs and arms as I turned to see who's hand I could feel on my shoulder.

"Time to wake up kiddo." Jet Star.

I turned around to face him, and gave him a small smile in greeting. Smiling back, Jet gently slid his arm underneath my knees and wrapped another behind my back as he lifted me out of the car. I snuggled into him, holding onto his t-shirt lightly with my fingers. The sky had darkened considerably and was now a beautiful mix of reds, pinks and oranges. A few of the sun's rays shone through the clouds, making it look like heaven was shining down on the Earth. But this was no heaven, not after what BLI had done to the land. I closed my eyes, still feeling tired even after the nap I'd had in the car. Jet carried me into the Diner and laid me down onto the couch. Just as he turned to go, my hand shot out and grabbed the end of his jacket.

"Please," I whispered. "Don't leave me."

Jet looked as if he was considering whether he should go or not. I knew it was selfish of me (he obviously had other tasks to do, such as helping Ghoul to get better) but I just couldn't bare to be left alone. Jet's eyes settled on my hand, the one that'd been experimented on and his eyes widened slightly. I withdrew my hand, trying to cover it with my sleeve as the face of the doctor flashed in my mind. I turned around, back facing the Killjoy.

"Never mind," I mumbled, just wanting to fall back into the land of sleep.

Hands gently moved me over as the material of the couch dipped slightly. Curly hair tickled my exposed cheek, an arm wrapped over my stomach, turning me around gently and I came face to face with Jet's warm brown eyes.

"Don't give me pity because of what I look like now," I whispered. Jet nodded and I snuggled into his chest.

"What did they do to you?" he asked in a low voice after a few moments of silence. I bit my bottom lip, unsure whether I should answer or pretend to be asleep. "You don't have to tell me; I just thought it'd be better for you to get it all off your chest."

"He experimented on me," I finally answered.

"How?"

"Stuck needles into my eyes… hands… and feet. Don't know why."

Jet was silent. My body shook slightly as the memories of all the pain came back to me. I clutched Jet's jacket, pulling him closer to me as if I could hide away from the whole world. His hand stroked my hair, fingers getting caught in the knots.

"They shouldn't have done that to you. You never deserved that kind of treatment. No one does." His voice was so quiet my ears almost strained to hear him.

"Except Korse and his army," I corrected with a sniff. Jet said nothing. "I hate them Jet."

"I know."

"I want to kill them all and make them pay."

Again, Jet was quiet. Maybe from the sudden surge of anger in my voice.

"Try not to think of that now. Just relax and think of something else."

"Like what?" I asked, my tone bitter. Jet sighed.

"Think of your brother," he said suddenly and I froze. "Think about the good times you two had together before BLI took over."

I laughed halfheartedly. "You remember what I screamed at Party before I punched him in the face and ran off?"

I felt Jet's chin bump gently against the top of my head in a nod.

"May not know the good times but there had to be."

It was my turn to nod, this time accompanied by a few stray droplets of water from my eyes.

"He taught me how to ride a bike without stabilisers," I began and Jet encouraged me to continue. Soon, we were both chuckling at the tales of a younger Nick and myself. We were brought back down to Earth at the sound of someone calling for Jet.

"Duty calls," he sighed, pressing a kiss to my forehead before climbing off the couch.

"Can I come with you?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't want to be alone."

Jet nodded and I sprang to my feet. We walked into an area that I was familiar with; it was the place where I'd rested when the Killjoys found me running from the Draculoids. It seemed like forever had passed since then and it might as well have been; I'd lost count of the date a long, long time ago. Lying with his eyes closed, greasy hair pushed out of the way, was Ghoul. Party, Kobra and Dr D sat around him. Party held onto Ghoul's hand while Kobra stared intently at the sleeping Killjoy as if willing him to wake up. Dr D kept checking the machines every five seconds.

"How is he?" Jet asked Kobra softly, placing a hand on the blonde Killjoy's shoulder.

"Stable at the moment. He has a lot of injuries though." Kobra caught sight of me and said, "Lucky we found you outside his cell."

"We might just be able to save his life," Dr D cut across. "If he doesn't get infection and his injuries heal quick enough, that is."

No one spoke, the only noise in the entire Diner being the beeping from the machines. Finally, Party looked up towards me.

"How did you find him?" he asked and I told them everything, from hiding in the cupboard and finding the device to finding Ghoul's cell.

"Then you guys came along," I concluded. Party seemed to believe me as he gave an affirmative grunt. There was silence once more before Party turned back around and kept eye contact with me as he said thanks. I merely nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Alright everybody, the room's too depressing with you all acting like Ghoul dying or dead," Dr D snapped. "Get out before I throw you all out myself."

Reluctantly we all left, shuffling our feet before Dr D snapped at us again to move faster. With permission from Kobra Kid, Jet led me into his bedroom.

"I figured you might want some rest," he said, trying to sound a little bit optimistic, even if one of the Killjoy leader was severely injured. "Call if you need anything."

"Thanks," I muttered before Jet closed the door behind me.

I didn't bother to look around and just flopped onto the bed, bringing my knees up to my chest. I wasn't particularly tired but I knew I needed time to process Ghoul's condition. After sometime of merely lying in a curled up position, I decided to get up. It was a little awkward walking at first because of the pins and needles feeling I had in my legs but it slowly went away the more I walked. I gently pushed open the door, sticking my head out to see if there was anyone nearby.

"… but you're just going to have to deal with it." That was Kobra Kid, I could tell, and he sounded a little pissed. I couldn't see him so I guessed he had to be around the corner at the end of the corridor.

"I'm not saying I can't deal with it, I just don't have enough trust –" Party Poison defiantly. But what were they talking about?

"What do you suggest we do?" I heard Jet hiss as I reached the end of the corridor. I pressed my back against the wall. "We can't go out there ourselves! Security will be doubled now we got Ghoul back!"

"Hey, hey, here me out!" Party stressed. I could imagine him holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm only saying what if the plan fails? What's going to happen to Ghoul then? I can't let him die! I just can't!"

I felt sympathy in my heart as Party's voice cracked at the last few words. He sounded so close to breaking down that it made me want to run up to him and hold him close. I didn't realise he cared so much for the other guys.

"We know Party," Kobra said, his voice not as harsh as before. "But we can't ask a child to do that. Her life isn't less important than Ghoul's. Every life is important – you taught us that, remember?"

I peered around the corner. All three of them stood next to a table with several pieces of rolled up paper scattered around. Jet and Kobra stood opposite Party, who's hands were spread out on the table and his back hunched over. Red strands of hair hung in front of his face and I could tell he was feeling rather miserable.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. The three Killjoys jumped about a foot in the air and if the situation wasn't so serious, I would've laughed.

"How have you been standing there?" Party asked with a frown. I shrugged.

"Long enough. What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Jet tried to assure me quickly but I wasn't having any of it. Crossing my arms, I stuck out my hip slightly and scowled, giving them my best _don't mess with me punk! _look. Kobra sighed and muttered something about me being a diva.

"Ghoul needs a specific type of medicine in order to help him heal fully," Kobra began to explain slowly. "But Dr D doesn't have this particular medicine."

My heart sunk like a ship. "So he's going to die?"

"No, no! He won't die!" Jet said quickly. "But he won't exactly be alive either. More or less in some sort of coma. Dr D wasn't too clear. He only found out just ten minutes ago."

"We need that medicine," Party said with determination in his eyes. "But because of security reasons we can't get it ourselves. The Draculoids will be thirsty for our blood and for every two, we assume there'll be around four or six."

"You want me to get it?" A part of me didn't understand what the fuss was about. If I could get it, then I would.

"Yes!" Party said excitedly just as Jet and Kobra both yelled "No!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"Kobra, I got my way around BLI good enough."

"But that was in aid of a map! There isn't going to be a map this time!"

"So what if there's no map!" I hollered. "I don't need to be guided everywhere! I can managed perfectly fine on my own finding a simple bit of medicine that'll save Ghoul's life!" The Diner was silent after my little outburst. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Look guys, I know you're looking out for me and I appreciate it. But please, you can't keep on treating me like I'm some kind of china doll. Please, just let me do this mission. For Ghoul."

Kobra and Jet glanced at each other, conversing silently with their eyebrows. Finally, they turned to face me.

"Fine," Kobra sighed. I grinned. "But you're getting some training first!"

***James Bond theme tune* DUH-NUH-DUH-NUH-DUH-DUH-DUUUUHHH! x**


	10. Chapter X

_Okay, so I'm sorry this one is a little late - I was meant to upload it two days ago but completely forgot! D: and also, sorry this one is a short and a crappy excuse for a chapter D:_

"Please tell me you know what this is."

"It's a ray gun Kobra. I'm actually not that stupid."

Kobra rolled his eyes as he handed me Party's ray gun, which we were borrowing from him. Said Killjoy was sitting on the roof of the Trans Am with Jet, watching Kobra teach me how to use a gun, something I already knew. "Just in case," he'd said when I told him.

"That's our target." Kobra pointed to the nearest cactus. "Since you know oh-so much about firing a gun, I want you to hit it's left arm."

I nodded, noting the not-so-subtle sarcasm in Kobra's words. Ignoring him (clearly someone had woken up on the wrong side of bed this morning), I raised the gun and aimed, one eye squeezed shut.

"Put your tongue back in your mouth!" Party shouted from atop the car. I did so and pressed the trigger. I glanced over at Kobra, a triumphant smirk on my face.

"Told you I could do it."

Kobra grunted as he walked over from where he'd been leaning against the car. Behind his back, Party winked at me and I grinned back. I don't know how long we were out there, but it must've been a few hours because eventually Jet came out of the Diner with four cups of water and two cans, declaring we took a short break which I was glad for. Beads of sweat were forming on my brow and my skin tinged pink. I drank a small amount of water and slowly poured the rest onto my head, gasping as the cold water trickled down my back. After our small break, it was back to training.

"Can't you teach me something else?" I asked, irritated. "We've been doing this crap for hours now, I know all the moves!"

Kobra sent me a poisonous glare as he threw a punch towards my stomach, which I knocked off easily. I shoved him hard, palms flat against his chest. He didn't even stumble, his stance holding him in place. He gripped my wrists before I could pull them back, and threw me harshly to the side. I landed on the ground coughing as the breath was knocked out of me. Sand soared into the air.

"Get up!" Kobra stood in front of me, his shadow casting over my body.

It was getting dark now, the sun hovering above the line of the horizon. The sky was painted orange, red and light purple in some areas. Down on the ground, I climbed to my feet, catching the ankle before it hit my chest. Kobra swore as I threw him to the floor.

"Up!" I shouted in frustration. I jumped, avoiding Kobra's legs as they slid along the ground towards me. "C'mon, I can handle it! Is that all you got?"

"Stop!"

We both looked over at Party and Jet walking over to us. Kobra and I waited wordless, both of us breathing heavily. Jet placed his hand on my shoulder as Party helped up Kobra.

"You guys need to stop. Kid, she's had enough for today. It's almost night. Let her rest." I heard Party say behind me as Jet and I walked back to the Diner.

"I'm so tired," I groaned, leaning against Jet. I fought against a yawn as we walked inside. I wriggled out of Jet's grip and collapsed on the couch. Tomorrow would be another day of hard training. Hopefully whoever trained me wouldn't be in a shitty mood


End file.
